Memories of Rudy

On Wednesday, June 9th, we had to say goodbye to our dear sweet dog Rudy. He was 13 years old and we were lucky to have shared his life ever since we adopted him as a puppy. He was a Japanese Chin (and a very large Chin at 20 pounds) and he had a sweet personality and loved attention -- especially tummy rubs. (And you can see from this photo that he had plenty of tummy to rub. We called this his Buda Pose.)
As many of you know, the heartache of losing a beloved pet is eased by remembering the good times, so I'm going to share some of my favorite photos of Rudy and tell a few stories about his life.
Rudy's full name was Rudy Valentino and he was named that because we "adopted" him on Valentine's Day. He spent his first year of life going to work with Chris at St. Edward's University because he was in training to become a Therapy Dog. He brought so much joy to the staff, faculty and students at the University and he loved all the attention. It was the perfect environment for him to get used to meeting new people and preparing him for his service as a Therapy Dog.At one year old, he became an official Therapy Dog with the organization Therapy Pet Pals of Texas and we began visiting the residents of several nursing homes in Austin. We spent 8 years volunteering with this wonderful organization and enjoyed meeting so many fellow dog lovers and shared countless rewarding times.
Even though Rudy went to work with Chris, he was definitely a "Daddy's Boy", especially after we adopted our second dog, Scotty (who became Mommy's Boy.) Rudy could sit for hours on Frank's lap and he expected his tummy to be rubbed the whole time.Rudy was such a sweet dog, that he influenced several other members of our family to adopt Japanese Chins. Here he is giving advice about life to his younger cousin Yoshi -- my Mom's Japanese Chin puppy -- on Yoshi's adoption day. The caption could almost read....."Kid, stick with me and I'll show you the ropes."In addition to visiting his friends at the nursing home, Rudy enjoyed watching tv. He would often sit and watch a show as if he knew exactly what was going on. He especially liked it when the show had animals and one of his favorites was the "Beggin' Strips" commercial -- the one with the dog saying "bacon bacon bacon". He would come running every time he heard that and watch to the end to make sure that the dog on tv got his Beggin' Strip. One time I happened upon a show about Japanese Chins and he was enthralled as he watched another Chin on his tv set.
When Chris & Frank decided to retire and follow their dream of traveling around the country in their motorhome, both Rudy & Scotty came along. They were excellent travelers and thoroughly enjoyed all our adventures. Driving days were Rudy's favorite as he alternated between sitting next to Frank and getting hours of continuous tummy rubs and then taking the occasional nap in Frank's lap.
The following pictures are just a few of my favorites -- taken all over the country. Hope you enjoy our tribute to this special boy.

I'll begin with one of our favorite memories. We were camped at Ponderosa RV near Antonito, Colorado. The park sits alongside the Conejos River and one day we decided to take a walk with the dogs on the opposite side of the river from the campground. The trail was empty so we opted to let the dogs off leash as they were usually good hikers -- staying close to us as we walked along the path. On this day however, Rudy must have seen the RV on the other side of the river and decided it was time to go home -- so he took a short cut and before we could stop him, he dove into the water and tried to swim across the swiftly flowing river. The current was too much for him to overcome and we watched in horror as he was quickly drifting downstream. Without a second thought, Frank plunged into the freezing, waist-deep water and went after Rudy. He struggled against the current and slippery rocks and finally caught up to him about halfway across. He scooped up Rudy and got him to the other side with everyone safe and sound, but cold, wet and scared. You would think that frightening experience would have made Rudy afraid of water, but he continued to enjoy swimming, wading and frolicking in all the rivers, lakes and oceans that we visited.


A crisp, cool morning while the water was calm and peaceful at Salmon Lake, Montana.


Sunbathing with Chris and Scotty at White Sands, New Mexico.


Climbing the dunes on a windy day at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado.


Taking in the sailboats at Milford Lake, Kansas.


On a hot day -- frolicking in the cool water of the Red River in Texas.

Hiking the path around Beauvert Lake in Jasper, Alberta, Canada.


Getting a family photo at the top of Pike's Peak, Colorado.

Getting rusty-colored paws in the red dirt at Zion National Park, Utah.


Going for a walk in the rain along the Rio Grande River and a catching a beautiful rainbow in front of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


Enjoying a spirited run along the shores of San Luis Lake in Colorado.


Going for a breathless walk in the thin air at 9,200' at Taylor Park Reservoir, Colorado.


Enjoying a picnic lunch with the San Juan Mountains for a backdrop at Ridgway State Park, Colorado.


One of the last photos of Rudy -- sitting in the bluebonnets at Hords Creek Lake, Texas. He developed congestive heart failure when he was around 11 years old and it steadily got worse. Near the end, he began to slow down and was losing weight, but he still seemed to be happy and enjoying life. I do believe we were able to keep him going for the last two years of his life with an array of drugs, very good vet care and lots of attention and, of course, plenty of tummy rubs. His final decline came quickly and we knew it was time to let him go.

Goodbye dear sweet boy -- you were a wonderful companion and we will miss you terribly.